Wondering if your preemie caught up with weight fast but length took a lot longer?

Ahndrea - posted on 09/12/2012
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I had my son at 34 weeks at 3.6 pounds and 15 inch. He just turned 7 months and is now 16 pounds 10 oz and 25 inch long. I feel like he is catching up on weight fast but not his height. Every time I see babies born around the same time as my son, they look huge! My son never had any problems when he was born. He never had a feeding tube or oxygen. He was growth restricted ( I had severe preeclampsia). My husband is only 5'6 ( shortest in his family) and I'm 5'4. I don't think my son will be tall but i don't see him catching up on height as fast like he is with his weight. Does any body's preemie do the same thing?

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Kristena - posted on 10/11/2012

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Yesss

My daughter was 2 in a half months early. I had preeclampsia as well And she was tinnnnny 2lbs 1.5 oz. Well she is five months now and is 13 pounds she had no problem putting on the weight but I was told by the doctors her length needs toncatch upto her weight gain which worrys me a little but I'm sure she will eventually stretch out a little haha so I wouldnt worry to much it is very common from what I hear some babies gets the length before the weight and some get the weight before the length so I guess we just gotta wait it out

Hi, I'm so sorry that you are having these worries. My twins were born 8 weeks premature at 3lb.5oz and 3lb.7oz, (I too had preeclampsia) They were in the NICU until they were 5 weeks and 5 lbs, They each had a feeding tube ( about 10 days) and oxygen (1 day and 2 days). I was told that they would most likely be a bit smaller than other children and not to worry. Well, they are now 5 years old our "youngest" (by 1 minute) is at the 95 percentile for height and the 5th percentile for weight, while her "older" sister is at 80 percentile for height and 3rd for weight (she is about 4 inches shorter and 5 pounds lighter). I was a very tall and slender child, but now am 5'3" while my husband is 5'9". I think that they will get most of their height in early, as I did. Looking at them and listening to their language skills, they appear to be closer to 6 or 7 years of age. So not only did the girls catch up, they have exceeded the average. Try not to worry, my girls started really growing at about a year of age. Good Luck!

Hi! I had my twins at 32 weeks. My daughter was 4.5 pounds and 17 3/4 in and my son was 3.10lbs and 17 in long. They are now 8 yrs old and have 4 in and 10lbs difference. This is how it has always been and I always worried about it. I have done a lot of research on this over the years and talked to many doctors. They all have said the same thing. It doesn't matter the weight or the length, as long as they are growing at a consistent rate, they are fine. I wouldn't worry so much how your baby is compared to other children b/c he wasn't very long to begin with. Your dr should be tracking how much gain there is from one visit to the next. If its consistent, then he's fine. I have 2 boys and 1 girl. My boys have always been shortest among their peers and my daughter has always been tallest. My oldest boy is almost 15 and his growth shot up around 13/14.